Sellers of flooring samples have the problem of displaying them in suitable quantities while using minimum floor space. Some solutions to this problem are found in Fuller and Sanders Pat. Nos. 4,063,648 and 4,119,207 issued Dec. 20, 1977 and Oct. 10, 1978 respectively. In displays shown in these patents, display holders are provided for holding the samples in a shingled display. These are essentially suitable for displaying carpet samples which tend to remain sensibly flat. They are also useful for the more stiffly flexible sheets such as linoleum and the like, but the less stiff materials such as vinyl resilient flooring have a tendency to curl at their edges and corners as a consequence of change of temperature. Accordingly, it becomes necessay to hold them down. If they are to be held at their edges, it becomes necessary to get them into some kind of a holder and this can be a problem if they are already curled at their edges and at their corners. Accordingly, a merchant can have considerable difficulty in handling and maintaining a large quantity of flooring samples in a neat and sensibly manipulable display.
Because it is desirable that these be readily removable to demonstrate them to the customer, the problem is even more severe, because repetitive insertion will be required.
It is an object of this invention to provide a holder for such sheets into which the sheet can readily be inserted, and from which it can readily be removed. The holder is adapted to being mounted in a wide variety of stand configurations, and to adapt any stand configuration to hold a surprisingly large number of such sheets, with ready accessibility and considerable visibility.
A holder according to this invention has four edges, a proximal edge, a distal edge, and two side edges connecting them to form an upper opening through which the sample can be viewed. There are four top rails at the edges. The distal rail is formed as a concave deflector to deflect beneath it the leading end of a sample being inserted. The proximal edge has a bottom restraint and an edge restraint to hold the distal end of the sample from slipping past it. Bottom support means supports the sheet from below, in the holder.
According to a preferred but optional feature of the invention, mounting pins can be provided for mounting the holder to a stand, and especially one in which the mounting pins can be manipulated so that the frame is readily attached to and detached from the stand.